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Wendish Crusade
In 1147, under the general mobilization of the Second Crusade, Pope Eugene III authorized an armed missionary campaign against the pagan Wends of the…
Timeline
- 1147Rome · LazioPope Eugene III, within the framework of the Second Crusade, approved military action against the pagan Wends of the Baltic, granting participants the same religious indulgence as crusaders to the Holy Land, thereby providing ecclesiastical legitimacy for the northern expedition launched by Saxon border nobles and the King of Denmark.
- 1147Baltic coast · PomeraniaDuke Henry the Lion of Saxony and King Eric of Denmark among others assembled their forces at Lübeck, attacking Wendish fortresses and ports by sea and land; though they took some positions they failed to achieve full conversion, but set in motion a long process of Christianization and colonial expansion in the Baltic region.
Sources
- The Northern Crusades — Eric Christiansen (1997)
- The Wendish Crusade, 1147 — Jonathan Riley-Smith (1995)